Our Urban Town a Publication of the Staten Island Urban CenterOur Urban Town is a quarterly publication that shares thought provoking, intellectually provocative, community news, ideas and opinions from Staten Island's urban neighborhoods.

#reSIStah issue​in celebration of women's history month

​the Woke reSIStah Issue Our Urban Town publishes thought provoking ideas, intellectually provocative reflections, community news, and opinions from the very people in the community who passionately live and/or work with these issues. In this Woke ReSistah Issue, Our Urban Town shares the writings of women activists on Staten Island as a tribute to the contributions of women right now in this borough. Due to space constraints, these are just a small sample of women activists doing the work on the island, but our hope is that these writings inspire readers to be or continue to be activists, to share real stories, advocate for real solutions and to fight for real for the things they believe in. In the era of WOKE and RESIST, it’s our time to be activists everywhere we go and in everything we do.Kelly Vilar,​Editor of Our Urban Town & ​CEO of Staten Island Urban Center

​Staten Islander's Deserve Housing with DignityBy Nick Petrie of Make the Road NY

Across the City, New Yorkers are struggling with the housing crisis, and Staten Island is no exception. The majority of Staten Islanders are paying housing prices- either in rent or mortgage- that they simply cannot afford.[1]Half of renters on Staten Island pay rents that they cannot afford. 33% of renters on Staten Island pay half of their income towards rent. A look at low-income Staten Islanders reveals an even starker reality- the majority of low-income renters are severely rent burdened- meaning they pay more than half their income towards rent. [2]The Staten Island Housing Dignity Coalition is a community and faith based coalition that is coordinated by Make the Road New York. The coalition includes over 25 congregations, 17 tenant associations across more than 2,500 units of housing and community groups representing the diversity of the North Shore. We believe the housing crisis on Staten Island demands action. We believe that every person in this city is entitled to ‘housing dignity’ – access to housing that is affordable, safe and in good condition. Given the resources available to this City and the profits the development community can make from new development, we believe that this right can be secured for all our fellow New Yorkers. Our City can and should do better in meeting the housing needs of its citizens.

The Bay Street Corridor and Affordable Housing

Too often in the past, the City has rezoned areas to the benefit of developers and not to the benefit of those currently living in the area or other low and middle income New Yorkers. The goal for redevelopment on the North Shore should not be the gentrification of another neighborhood in the City, but the revitalization of an existing neighborhood so that those currently living in this area can benefit from the action the City is taking.

Done right, the Bay St. Corridor rezoning could produce badly needed affordable housing for Staten Islanders. Done wrong, the Bay St. Corridor could speed up displacement and push rising rents and housing costs for Staten Islanders on the North Shore.

The city's actions cannot and should not ignore the needs of the neighborhood. Within Community Board 1, 25% of the population makes less than 30% of Area Median Income (25K/Year). Unsurprisingly, these tenants are most likely to be rent-burdened, with an astonishing 87% paying more than a third of their income in rents.

We applaud Councilmember Rose's public stand to demand affordable housing for Staten Island for families making 40% of AMI ($34,500/yr) and families making 60% of AMI ($52,000/yr). We believe that to stabilize and strengthen our community we must not forget our neighbors making less than 25K a year. We cannot forget the seniors on a fixed income. We cannot forget the immigrant families struggling to make ends meet. We cannot forget everyone who has made the North Shore the vibrant neighborhood it is today.

[1] State of New York Comptroller, “Housing Affordability in New York State” March 2014

[2] Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York University; State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods 2013, p. 133